This invention pertains to canoe and boat seats and, in particular, to a canoe and boat seat incliner apparatus that is to be used by individuals canoes or boats and shifting from the sitting to the kneeling position while remaining firmly and comfortably supported by the seat.
Canoe seats typically are suspended from two long bolts through each gunwale to a point at the end of the fore and aft rail of the seat frame. Most recreational canoes have seats fixed in the flat position, while many high performance canoes have a seat inclined to support the paddler in a kneeling position. But both type paddlers occasionally need to use the other position while paddling. There have been a number of attempts to develop a comfortable and easy way to go from the kneeling to the sitting position in a canoe or boat with varying degrees of success. The United States Patent issued to F. W. Zeidler et al, U.S. Pat. No. 1,387,957 on Aug. 16, 1921 for a "Canoe", shows a unit having a mechanism that provides a flexible base that will keep the user in a steady position when the canoe is rocked back and forth. The U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,098 issued to J. E. Goldthwait on Oct. 30, 1917 for a "Rowboat Seat" shows a device that uses a pivot point at the base of the device that allows the seat to rock back and forth. Zeidler's device removes control because a paddler with long legs can't kneel under it. The Goldthwait is designed only to be used in a rowboat.
What is needed is a canoe and boat seat incliner apparatus that is designed to be able to be used with any type canoe and boat seat and provide a solid attachment to the hull or gunwale of a boat or canoe and will allow the user to sit or kneel in a canoe or boat without losing support as he or she is changing position in the watercraft. Additionally, what is needed is a device that provides firm, even pressure on the pelvis and femur of the paddler regardless of the position assumed and will rock slightly with the paddling motion, maintaining even pressure. What is also needed is a device that attaches to the gunwale or boat hull and allows the pivot point to be in a position above the seat itself.
It is the object of this invention to teach a canoe or boat seat incliner apparatus which avoids the disadvantages and limitations, recited above in previous boat or canoe seat designs. Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus that is simple to install, extremely effective and very cost effective, be extremely adjustable, and be maintainable without applying concentrated pressure on the bottom of the canoe hull.